All Africa
Nigeria: Boko Haram Leader, Shekau, Ready To Surrender, Says Military
By Kingsley NwezehAbuja — Military authorities said yesterday that with the grand offensive mounted by the Armed Forces of Nigeria against Boko Haram and the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP), the body language of terror leader, Abubakar Shekau, is that of surrender.They also confirmed the killing of key Boko Haram commanders during airstrikes on Durbarda, Borno State.The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) also said it had produced 18,000 hand sanitisers and ventilator machine, "Dicovent" in support of government's effort to contain COVID-19 pandemic.It called on federal and state governments to patronise the products produced by Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to enable mass production.
Read more: https://allafrica.com/stories/202004210112.html...

Marine Corps Times
How US troops survived a little-known al-Qaeda raid in Mali two years ago
by Kyle Rempfer
U.S. troops were part of a multinational force that repelled a brazen daytime raid by militants inside the United Nations Super Camp near Timbuktu Airport in Mali two years ago, according to award documents obtained by Military Times.Two U.S. soldiers received Purple Heart medals after being injured by a car bomb’s blast wave during the April 14, 2018 attack by local al-Qaeda affiliates, though two others also sustained mild traumatic brain injuries.Several service members said in interviews they believed the politically sensitive nature of African missions, and the fact that some Americans were at risk of capture, may have had a negative influence on the awards process for all of them.“The severity of this was so, so downplayed," said one of the service members. “They didn’t want to highlight the fact...

FBI Says Foreign States Hacked Into U.S. COVID-19 Research Centers: Report
InHomelandSecurity.com
While most of the COVID-19 threat warnings emerging from the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been regarding scams and fraud, now something a lot more sinister and disturbing has emerged. It has been reported that the FBI has seen evidence of foreign state-sponsored hackers breaking into U.S. COVID-19 research institutions.Start a Homeland Security degree at American Military University.
FBI confirms “reconnaissance activity and some intrusions” into COVID-19 research centersThe FBI has been urging everyone from kids at home from school to the public at large to be vigilant during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is in light of hackers and scammers looking to exploit our fear, uncertainty, and doubt regarding the current health crisis and the FBI has warned of a significant spike in such scams.Now it would appear that the threat stakes have been raised. According to...

KMOV.com
16 killed in Canada shooting rampage, deadliest attack in history
Authorities believe he may have targeted his first victims but then began attacking randomly. Police first announced that they had arrested Wortman at a gas station ...
TORONTO (AP) — A man disguised as a police officer went on a shooting rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday, killing 16 people, in the deadliest such attack in the country's history. Officials said the suspected shooter was also dead.A police officer was among those killed. Several bodies were found inside and outside one home in the small, rural town of Portapique, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Halifax — what police called the first scene. Bodies were also found at other locations.Overnight, police began advising residents of the town — already on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic — to lock their doors and stay in...

Reflections: 25th Anniversary of the OKC Bombingby David Morris
Educators, religious leaders and public officials reflect on the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing in a documentary produced by The Oklahoman called "Reflections: 25th Anniversary of the OKC Bombing."The 22-minute short film includes photos taken by The Oklahoman's photographers at the scene the day of the bombing, along with images captured through the years. It also features footage graciously provided by local NBC affiliate KFOR-TV and OETA, a PBS member TV station.
Read more: https://oklahoman.com/article/5660243/reflections-25th-anniversary-of-the-okc-bombing...

‘We won’t back down’: First responders worried about coronavirus but committed to the job
Austin American-StatesmanWhile the pandemic has drastically altered life for people all over the globe, first responders are still rushing to emergencies as they always have. Medics and firefighters are donning significantly more protective equipment to tend to the sick and the injured, but they still worry they could eventually fall ill. Here we talked to Manchaca Fire Rescue, Pflugerville Fire Department and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
...

Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Arkansas Targets Part Of Bomb Plot, FBI Says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri man who investigators said was planning to bomb a Kansas City-area hospital was distressed by the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis and motivated by racial, religious and anti-government animus, according to newly unsealed court documents.Timothy Wilson, 36, died March 24 in a firefight with FBI agents serving a probable-cause arrest warrant on a Belton street. The plot was reminiscent of the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City. Wilson first talked of plans for an attack in April or June, but FBI agents say he moved up that timeline as the coronavirus made its way to Missouri.The violent take-down followed a long-running domestic terrorism investigation that began in 2019 with Wilson’s encrypted communications about bomb-building with Jarrett William Smith, a 24-year-old Army infantry soldier who faces prison for distributing bomb-making...

Coronavirus: A French Disaster
by Guy Millière • Gatestone Institute
The first bad decision was that, in contrast to the European Union fantasies, borders apparently do matter. France never closed them; instead it allowed large numbers of potential virus-carriers to enter the country.
In January 2020, several hundred thousand masks were available, but on February 19, President Macron decided to send them to Wuhan, as a "gesture of solidarity with the Chinese people".... The French government announced that masks would be available soon, but by the end of March, most doctors and caregivers still had no masks. Several doctors fell ill. As of April 10, eight have died from COVID-19 and several others are in critical condition. On March 20, the Government's spokeswoman, Sibeth N'Diaye, incorrectly said, "masks are essentially useless".
On February 25, a renowned French epidemiologist, Professor Didier Raoult... published a video... In it, he said he...

Police discover 17 bodies at nursing home hard hit by coronavirus after anonymous tip
Washington Examiner
by Mike Brest
Law enforcement officials found 17 corpses in a shed belonging to a New Jersey retirement home earlier this week.The discovery of the bodies on Monday only occurred after New Jersey police received an anonymous tip alleging that a long-term care facility, Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I and II, was housing a body in the shed on-site, according to the New York Times. Officers did not find the body the tip referenced, but they did discover 17 others in a small morgue intended to hold only a handful of people.The 17 were among 68 recent deaths linked to the facilities, including two nurses. Of those who died, 26 people had tested positive for the virus. Thirteen of the bodies discovered at the Andover facility were moved to a refrigerated truck outside...

NBC News
Massachusetts Man Charged With Trying To Blow Up Jewish Nursing Home
By Tom Winter and David K. LiFederal agents arrested a western Massachusetts man and accused of him trying to blow up a Jewish assisted living facility — but he instead left his DNA on the failed explosive, authorities alleged Wednesday.John Michael Rathbun, 36, of East Longmeadow was charged with two counts of attempted arson after local police found a 5-gallon plastic gas container with burned paper placed in the nozzle of the canister outside the assisted living home on April 2, according to a criminal complaint.The burned paper was a Christian religious pamphlet, and blood was on the side of the gas canister and the paper, the FBI said.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/massachusetts-man-charged-allegedly-trying-blow-jewish-nursing-home-n1184876...

Institute for Security Studies (press release)
Is counter-terrorism history repeating itself in Lake Chad Basin?
Chad’s retaliation against Boko Haram is unprecedented but hard lessons show that solutions must be holistic and sustainable.
by Remadji Hoinathy
On 23 March, Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) attacked an army position in Boma, a Chadian peninsula on the Lake Chad Basin. Ninety-eight Chadian soldiers were killed – the most ever in an attack. Around 40 were wounded and military equipment was captured. Chad’s retaliation was as unprecedented as the JAS attack. The Wrath of Boma military campaign spans three countries – Chad, Niger and Nigeria.The Boma attack confirms that JAS remains as formidable a foe to the Lake Chad Basin countries as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). More than eight hours of fighting on a swampy semi-island with heavy casualties for Chad demonstrates JAS’s combat capacity, which included significant amphibious equipment,...

Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt Police Neutralize Terrorist Cell In Cairo Suburb
by Mohammed Abdo Hasanein and Walid AbdulrahmanWhile Egyptians on Tuesday were waiting in front of their TV screens for the daily COVID-19 report issued by the Health Ministry, they were surprised by news reporting a security attack on a terrorist cell in Al Amiriya neighborhood, east of Cairo.Egypt’s Interior Ministry said its security forces killed seven suspected militants in a shootout eastern Cairo following intelligence provided by the country’s security agency.It said clashes erupted as the forces raided a 10-story apartment in the neighborhood, where members of the cell were hiding.The ministry, which oversees police, said the forces seized weapons and ammunition in the raid, including six machine guns and four birdshot rifles.During the raid, Lieutenant officer Mohammed Fawzy Al Hofi and seven terrorists were killed while three others were wounded.
Read more: https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2234841/egypt-police-neutralize-terrorist-cell-cairo-suburb...

Task & Purpose
Germany arrests ISIS suspects for allegedly planning attack on US military bases
by Madeline Chambers, Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) - German police arrested on Wednesday four suspected members of Islamic State, all from Tajikistan, believed to have been planning deadly attacks in Germany, prosecutors said.Special forces in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia made the arrests near the cities of Essen and Duesseldorf and raided properties in the area.Prosecutors suspect the four men, with a fifth who has been in detention for the last year, of being in contact with leading members of Islamic State in Afghanistan and Syria and of receiving instructions from them."Targets for the attacks were supposed to be institutions of U.S forces in Germany or even individual people," said prosecutors in their statement.
Read more: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/germany-arrests-isis-suspects-planning-base-attacks...

Daily Sabah
Captured PKK terrorist tests positive for COVID-19
by DAILY SABAHA PKK terrorist who was captured during a counterterrorism operation in eastern Muş province tested positive for the coronavirus, the interior ministry said on Sunday.The terrorist who was injured during a clash with Turkish security forces on Thursday was revealed to be the terrorist group's alleged leader in charge of the eastern Erzurum area, Mahmut Okay. According to the Interior Ministry, after Okay's test results, a person who was detained for providing aid and abetting him also had the test, but his results have not been released yet.Gendarmerie units captured Okay, code-named “Hayri Mava,” during road security checks in the Varto district in Muş, the Interior Ministry said last week.The terrorist opened fire on security forces and was injured in clashes, the ministry said, adding that another terrorist accompanying and assisting him was also captured in the operation.Listed in...

COVID-19: Bio-Security, its limits and importance
by Kartik Bommakanti
The outbreak of an infectious disease such as COVID-19 raises important questions and brings to attention issues surrounding bio-security that were hitherto either ignored or neglected or both.There are known and unknown biological agents. Planning for both places steep strains on the state and national health care systems. India can only plan for a very limited range of biological threats and health-related contingencies.Indeed, biological threats whether they involve the deliberate use of biological weapons or unexpected pandemic outbreaks are harder to plan for than against the potential use of nuclear weapons.Responses to both require hard choices. With the difficult decisions are harder than the former to the extent that some biological threats can be prepared for and others cannot because they are so distinct and represent black swan outbreaks as is the case with COVID-19, which is Zoonotic disease spreading from...

The Hill
Poll Finds Americans See Infectious Diseases, Terrorism, Cyberattacks As Top Threats
By Maggie Miller
Americans rank the spread of infectious disease, terrorist attacks and cyberattacks as the top national security threats, a study released by the Pew Research Center on Monday found. Pew researchers found that 79 percent of those surveyed ranking the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as the top threat to the country. More than 70 percent of those polled identified cyberattacks from other countries and the spread of nuclear weapons as major threats.Concerns around threats from global warming, the economy and global poverty were also cited as national threats by those polled. The results were compiled based on calls throughout March with 1,000 American adults, with the calls taking place as COVID-19 spread throughout the world and became a pandemic. The researchers saw a noted spike in those polled identifying infectious diseases...

Coronavirus In Texas: Another Dallas Police Officer Recovers From COVID-19, Returns To Work
CBS Dallas on MSN.com
DALLAS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A week after the Dallas Police Department welcomed back its first recovered officer from the coronavirus, another has returned to duty.
The department tweeted out a welcome for Senior Corporal Brockford who returned to duty Monday after recovering from COVID-19.“@DallasPD would like to welcome back Senior Corporal Brockford who returned to duty today, after a full recovery from #COVID19. Welcome back Senior Corporal Brockford!”
On social media, people celebrated her return too, expressing gratitude and numerous well-wishes.Last Wednesday, the department welcomed back one of its officers, Johnny Walker who recovered from COVID-19. The first Dallas officer tested positive during the third week of March.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/coronavirus-in-texas-another-dallas-police-officer-recovers-from-covid-19-returns-to-work/ar-BB12zo1E...

The Times
Terrorism In The UK: Number Of Suspects Tops 40,000 After MI5 Rechecks Its List
by Dipesh Gadher
MI5 is aware of more than 43,000 people who pose a potential terrorist threat to the UK, according to a government report — almost twice the number of terror suspects previously disclosed.After the 2017 attacks at London Bridge and Manchester Arena, it was revealed that MI5 had about 23,000 current and historic suspects on its radar.This included 3,000 so-called subjects of interest (SOI) who were under active investigation, as well as 20,000 people who had been investigated in the past and who might engage in terrorism in the future.The latter are known as “closed” subjects of interest (CSOI) and included terrorists such as Salman Abedi, who went on to kill 22 people in the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.
Read more: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/terrorism-in-the-uk-number-of-suspects-tops-40-000-after-mi5-rechecks-its-list-pqm6k62ph...

Al Monitor
Intelligence Sharing Remains Key To Fight Against IS
by Daniel Hoffman
In late March, the Telegraph reported that four Islamic State (IS) militants escaped from the Ghweran prison in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah but were quickly recaptured. The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which played such a critical role in destroying IS' so-called caliphate, are in charge of the prison. The US military was reported to have provided aerial reconnaissance assistance to support the SDF’s recapture of the IS prisoners. Other news stories said up to 12 prisoners escaped.The SDF continues to be responsible for the security of the prisons in northern Syria, where roughly 11,000-12,000 captured IS fighters are held.The March 30 prison incident highlights the conundrum surrounding the IS detainees. Western governments refuse to accept their repatriation, while the SDF believes they should face prosecution inside Syria, if necessary with an international tribunal. Although...

Coronavirus hasn't slowed Iran's terrorism and proxy wars, analysts say
By Hollie McKay | Fox News
Coronavirus has torn through Iran in recent months, prompting calls from the international community that the United States lift heavy economic sanctions to help them fight the contagion.But according to many analysts, even with such a crippling pandemic, it has failed to curb Iran's nefarious support of terrorist organizations and proxy wars."Lifting core U.S. sanctions on Iran because of the coronavirus would be irresponsible and would not solve the fundamental problem: the regime's well-documented history of mismanagement and corruption," Jason Brodsky, Policy Director for United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News.
And while one may assume that the massive health crisis might prompt Iran to focus more on what is happening in its own borders, critics said that with much of the world distracted, they have instead stepped up menacing behavior – attacks...